Edward Felix Norton
Encyclopedia
Edward Felix Norton DSO
MC
(21 February 1884 – 3 November 1954) was a British army officer and mountaineer.
He was educated at Charterhouse School
and the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich, and then joined artillery units in India
and served in World War I
. He had been introduced to mountain climbing at the home in the Alps of his grandfather, Alfred Wills
. His experience led to joining the British Mount Everest
expeditions in 1922 and 1924, and reached high elevations both years. His 8570m height (reached on the grand couloir route) was a world altitude record
which stood for nearly 30 years, only being surpassed during the unsuccessful Swiss expedition of 1952. In 1924, he took over leadership of the expedition when General Charles Granville Bruce
fell ill, and Norton was praised for handling affairs in the aftermath of the disappearance of George Mallory
and Andrew Irvine
.
He served at Staff Colleges in India and England, and commanded the Royal Artillery and later the Madras District in the 1930s. During 1940-41, he was acting governor and commander-in-chief, Hong Kong. He retired in 1942.
See also:
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
MC
Military Cross
The Military Cross is the third-level military decoration awarded to officers and other ranks of the British Armed Forces; and formerly also to officers of other Commonwealth countries....
(21 February 1884 – 3 November 1954) was a British army officer and mountaineer.
He was educated at Charterhouse School
Charterhouse School
Charterhouse School, originally The Hospital of King James and Thomas Sutton in Charterhouse, or more simply Charterhouse or House, is an English collegiate independent boarding school situated at Godalming in Surrey.Founded by Thomas Sutton in London in 1611 on the site of the old Carthusian...
and the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich, and then joined artillery units in India
British Raj
British Raj was the British rule in the Indian subcontinent between 1858 and 1947; The term can also refer to the period of dominion...
and served in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. He had been introduced to mountain climbing at the home in the Alps of his grandfather, Alfred Wills
Alfred Wills
Sir Alfred Wills PC was a British High Court judge and a well-known mountaineer. He was the third President of the Alpine Club from 1863 to 1865.-Early life:...
. His experience led to joining the British Mount Everest
Mount Everest
Mount Everest is the world's highest mountain, with a peak at above sea level. It is located in the Mahalangur section of the Himalayas. The international boundary runs across the precise summit point...
expeditions in 1922 and 1924, and reached high elevations both years. His 8570m height (reached on the grand couloir route) was a world altitude record
World altitude record (mountaineering)
In the history of mountaineering, the world altitude record referred to the highest point on the Earth's surface which had been reached, regardless of whether that point was an actual summit. The world summit record referred to the highest mountain to have been successfully climbed...
which stood for nearly 30 years, only being surpassed during the unsuccessful Swiss expedition of 1952. In 1924, he took over leadership of the expedition when General Charles Granville Bruce
Charles Granville Bruce
Brigadier-General Charles Granville Bruce, CB, MVO was a Himalayan veteran and leader of the second and third British expeditions to Mount Everest in 1922 and 1924.-Background and early life:...
fell ill, and Norton was praised for handling affairs in the aftermath of the disappearance of George Mallory
George Mallory
George Herbert Leigh Mallory was an English mountaineer who took part in the first three British expeditions to Mount Everest in the early 1920s....
and Andrew Irvine
Andrew Irvine (mountaineer)
Andrew "Sandy" Comyn Irvine was an English mountaineer who took part in 1924 British Everest Expedition, the third British expedition to the world's highest mountain, Mount Everest....
.
He served at Staff Colleges in India and England, and commanded the Royal Artillery and later the Madras District in the 1930s. During 1940-41, he was acting governor and commander-in-chief, Hong Kong. He retired in 1942.
See also:
- British Mount Everest Expedition 1922British Mount Everest Expedition 1922The 1922 British Mount Everest Expedition was the first mountaineering expedition with the express aim of making the first ascent of Mount Everest. This was also the first expedition that attempted to climb Everest using bottled oxygen. The expedition would attempt to climb Everest from the...
- British Mount Everest Expedition 1924British Mount Everest Expedition 1924The 1924 British Mount Everest Expedition was—after the 1922 British Mount Everest Expedition—the second expedition with the goal of achieving the first ascent of Mount Everest. After two summit attempts in which Edward Norton set a world altitude record, the mountaineers George Mallory and Andrew...
Sources
- T. G. Longstaff, ‘Norton, Edward Felix (1884–1954)’, rev. Audrey Salkeld, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004